| At a glance | Web Search Lesson Plan: Start Your Engines | |
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Table of Contents
Developed by: Google Certified Teachers Cheryl Davis Kathleen Ferenz Lucy Gray
Next Lesson in Module A:
Understand your search results and learn to select keywords.
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Skillful searches are essential for 21st century learning and information literacy. With abundant information at our fingertips it is important to teach and reinforce literate searching.In this beginning search lesson students will take a look at search engines. By challenging students to understand the basics of search and how to understand results they'll learn how they can "drive" a search engine to deliver the results they need.
Inquiry question: How does search work on the web?
Use the "Start Your Engines" Google Presentation provided with this lesson to introduce students to Search. Slides that go with each section of this lesson are indicated by number [Slide #1] Stop for class discussion where indicated on the slide.
1. Introduce some basic definitions used in web search. [Slides #2, #3, #4] The slides will ask students to define these terms:
2. Show the first 45 seconds of the Common Craft Movie [Slide #5] Web Search Strategies in Plain English
A. Discuss also two additional concepts with students [Slide #6]:
*Visible web: everything that’s indexed by search engines
*Deep web: everything that’s on the web, but not indexed
B. Students generate a of list any database "deep web" sources that they might be able to access from their school or local libraries.
3. Show or distribute print handouts of [Slide #7] and have students discuss in groups what each part of the page means. When completed, discuss the labels as a class [Slide #8]. 4. Access the Google Search page on a computer display and ask students to put a search query into the box and try the “I Feel Lucky” button. Then ask them to try the same query using the Google Search button. Ask them to explain the difference that they see. 5. With the class, do a couple of searches and analyze the search results page. Explain to students how to read the results on those pages [Slide #9].
6. Share the tip of using the "Find" command on the browser (Edit>Find or Control-F) to find a term in a search results page or any web page. Demonstrate using this command to locate the search keywords across the search results page.
7. Show YouTube video "Matt Cutts Discusses Snippets" and discuss with students how a snippet can help them understand search choices. [Slide #10].
"Snippet" a fictional web site - Students write up search results, as in Slide 9, of a website about themselves or interview a class member and write up search results about a fictional web page a class member might have. Questions to ask: If they had a web site, what would a search engine show about their site? Include: title, snippet, URL and similar pages. Share student created fictional search results with class to determine understanding of search results and what they mean.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
Students: a. plan strategies to guide inquiry, d. process data and report results.
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.
Teachers: d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.
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